WWE Rumors: The Rock, John Cena, Steve Austin and Monday's Top WWE Buzz

Trying to get WWE to commit to something can be almost painstakingly frustrating for fans to watch, just because we see how often plans change and feuds get started then cut off before they have a chance to begin.

That said, it does appear WWE is going back to the Triple H-Brock Lesnar well, as the former is expected to be on Raw on Monday to discuss his loss at SummerSlam and the future.

None of that is to say a rematch can't be good, I just don't understand what purpose it will serve either man at this point. Plus, if they do a rematch, you know Triple H is winning that one, which makes everything we saw at SummerSlam pretty pointless.

Never pointless is our news and rumors for the day, so sit back, relax and soak in all the wrestling goodness we have for you.

The Rock Says John Cena Helped Hurt Him

Courtesy of WWE

Just when you think there is no drama left to churn out from the Rock-John Cena match at WrestleMania 28, here comes the news that The Rock worked the match with an injured hamstring. How would the world have been altered if The Rock was completely healthy?

Our Take: YES! WWE can make the whole thing about how Rock is so vigilante that not even the Great and Powerful Cena could overcome this hamstring injury. It does, however, explain why everything in that match was so slow.

Hype Meter: 3 out of 5 Unnecessary Injury Updates

While it is nice to have some perspective on an injury we didn't previously know about, I'm not sure what talking about it now accomplishes. Perhaps it is not supposed to be anything—just one of those blurbs people talk about when they open up.

When Did The Attitude Era Start?

When Did The Attitude Era Start?

Austin vs. Bret at WrestleMania 13

49.9%

Austin-Tyson Raw Showdown

23.1%

Austin Wins Title At WrestleMania 14

27.0%

Total votes: 2,129

Our Take: Of course. Austin will work WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan will ditch TNA to challenge him, and the world will stop spinning on its axis. It is still funny to think of Tyson working matches in WWE, not that he is going to start doing anything again.

Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 Legendary Duos

Even though the Austin Era began at WrestleMania 14, the foundation for the whole thing was set when Austin flipped off Tyson on Raw two months before that show. It was one of those truly classic angles that no who watched will forget, and it helped shape the business as we know it.

In what will surely be a sign of things to come when he makes his triumphant television return, Wade Barrett has been doing his bare-knuckle brawler gimmick at house shows recently.

He has reportedly been beating up on NXT star Big E. Langston, though no one knows that because no one is aware NXT is still a show.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Is a gimmick change good for Barrett?

Our Take: In wrestling, one of the most underrated aspects is character development. One reason John Cena is "boring" is because he does nothing different than he did five years ago. If Barrett came back as the same character he was, it would be so dull and bland.

Hype Meter: 4 out of 5 Brawlers

One problem that Barrett could have is being similar, at least in some respects, to Brock Lesnar. If people see him as just a lesser version of what Lesnar was doing, it will be hard for the gimmick to really work.

In keeping with the idea of character evolution as a way to get over, Cody Rhodes has not been given that luxury. His current feud with Sin Cara, which includes him passing out caricatures of the masked man, is exactly what he did last year when he was giving out paper bags.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Is Rhodes ever going to take off in WWE?

Our Take: There was a time, even heading into this year, when Rhodes could have been at least a high-card star. I doubt he would have been a true main eventer, but WWE did have something with him.

Unfortunately, thanks to start-and-stop pushes, that time is gone.

Hype Meter: 2 out of 5 Paper Bags

Rhodes is in desperate need of some character changes. He is still trying to figure out what to do with the material he is given, which makes it difficult for anyone to really get behind him or to hate him, depending on your perspective.